Physical Address
Indirizzo: Via Mario Greco 60, Buttigliera Alta, 10090, Torino, Italy
Istanbul once again opens its doors to the enchanting world of art and photography. From Sept. 27 to Oct. 12, the eighth edition of 212 Photography Istanbul invites audiences to a multilayered experience across the city’s two continents, hosting long-running exhibitions, workshops, performances, film screenings and concerts in nearly 30 venues. The festival not only celebrates the aesthetic and documentary dimensions of photography, but also offers the chance to immerse oneself in the city’s cultural fabric. As you wander through narrow streets, history blends with contemporary galleries and public spaces and each location whispering its own story and reflecting the artist’s vision.
Festival’s story, director’s vision
Born from 212 Studio’s 21 years of photographic experience, the journey of 212 Photography Istanbul began in 2018 with a bold step as the city’s very own photography festival. Festival director Banu Tunçağ highlights its interdisciplinary character as it enters its eighth year:
“The festival program does not revolve around a single theme; visitors will have the opportunity to explore multiple themes simultaneously through artist exhibitions curated for specific venues. Alongside the exhibitions, we enrich the experience with workshops, talks, film screenings, concerts, and performance art.”
As Tunçağ emphasizes, the festival offers far more than a series of exhibitions; it invites visitors to re-experience Istanbul’s historical texture, modern face, and public spaces through art. In this way, 212 Photography Istanbul treats the city like a laboratory, encouraging not just looking, but also observing and experiencing.
International local artists
The festival brings globally acclaimed artists to Istanbul. Legendary photographer Steve McCurry greets visitors with the world premiere of his exhibition “The Haunted Eye,” showcasing 20 iconic images that shaped his career alongside 160 previously unseen photographs, including the iconic “Afghan Girl” portrait. McCurry will also share his creative process through talks and book signings.
Christopher Herwig will present a film screening and talk on his cult series “Soviet Bus Stops.” Frank Ockenfels will share works featuring pop culture icons like “David Bowie,” while Erik Johansson will expand the festival’s horizons with his artworks that blur the boundaries between digital manipulation and reality.
Local artists further enrich the festival’s narrative. Ecem Dilan Köse, Zeynep Karabacak, Dilara Pak, Güliz Kayahan, Efe Temiztürk and Hilal Özdemir showcase works that merge individual creativity with collective memory. This year’s mini-interviews with artists offer a closer look at their creative processes and social sensitivities.
Stories with artists
Elif Yücel sees her work as a quiet call to observe nature more attentively. Her cube-shaped glass lamps, developed over the course of three years, amplify color and form while subtly revealing the intricate shapes of leaves embedded within. “It whispers to us,” she says, “to look at nature more carefully and kindly.” Objects found during everyday walks – a seagull feather, a leaf – are transformed into luminous reflections of nature’s hidden rhythms.
For Eren Su Kibele Yarman, the creative process has unfolded over seven years, shaped by moments of emotional clarity. Her analog pieces, characterized by deliberate reduction, explore what she describes as “feelings of separation and detachment.” The instinct to subtract becomes a way of articulating absence – of things lost, or never fully found.
Mustafa Seven focuses on collective memory, particularly the stories of communities that once played a vital role in the region’s cultural landscape. “Minorities, the Latins, were our neighbors, our friends,” he reflects. “But for various reasons, they were driven away.” His black-and-white photographs form a visual archive of loss, urging viewers to, as he puts it, “remember what you lost.”
Çağla Demirbaş condenses the intent behind her work into two words: “Look closer.” Emerging from a personal decision, her photographs reflect the search for the “decisive moment,” capturing fragments of life where presence, timing and perception converge.
In “On the Edge of Perception,” Tuba Geçgel explores the quiet tension between closeness and distance. Inspired by observing a pitcher plant consume an insect, she reflects on how emotional space can both protect and isolate. “Distance,” she notes, “sustains a relationship with the magnificent healing power of space.” The glass separating her from the flower becomes a metaphor for boundaries in human relationships.
Venues, experiences
Festival venues merge with the artworks, offering visitors an immersive spatial experience. St. Benoit Church, Küçük Mustafa Paşa Hammam, Yapı Kredi bomontiada, Tophane-i Amire Culture and Art Center, Akaretler, 212 Studio Karaköy, Ceneviz Sanat, Latin Catholic Cemetery, Müze Gazhane and Yeldeğirmeni Sanat are among the many locations where art and architecture resonate.
For instance, Ecem Dilan Köse’s digital installation fills St. Benoit Church; Maria Eugenia Diego and Quayola’s exhibition inhabits Küçük Mustafa Paşa Hammam; while Cooper & Gorfer’s works at Yapı Kredi bomontiada intertwine with the site’s unique character, drawing visitors into each venue’s narrative.
Interdisciplinary program
Workshops and performances amplify the festival’s experiential dimension: Erik Kessels’ “Personality Before Portfolio,” Lukas Birk’s “Instant Box Camera,” Burcu Böcekler & Lümen’s “Printing Workshop,” Volkan Mengi’s “No-Code Digital Game Design,” Can Müezzinoğlu & Gülbin Lekesiz’s “AI-Supported Speculative Space Production,” Işıl Çağlar Narler’s “Color and the Emotions of Colors,” Azat Meriç’s “Balat Walking Workshop,” Fethi Arda’s “Dance Workshop” and Ece Nur Ateş’s minitheater piece “Eros’un Istırabı” (“Eros’ Agony”) all invite participants to create across disciplines.
Film screenings and talks further enrich the festival. Steve McCurry will hold a special talk at Pera Museum; Christopher Herwig focuses on Soviet architecture in a screening and discussion; Lukas Birk explores analog production techniques in “A La Minute Photography;” while Beyhan Murphy and Mehmet Turgut examine the relationship between dance, the body and photography.
Rediscovering Istanbul
For those eager to rediscover Istanbul and explore the invisible ties between the city and art, 212 Photography Istanbul offers a unique opportunity. Venues, artworks, workshops, performances and talks merge with the city’s rhythm, presenting the works of both local and international artists as reflections of individual creativity and collective memory.
Through photography, space, history and social memory, the festival maps Istanbul anew, each visitor leaving with their own story of the city and a transformative experience of their own.